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IRVINGTON, N.Y. – Ray Arruci knows there are talented teens throughout Westchester County, and he is helping showcase 25 of them Saturday at the Irvington Town Hall Theater.

“These kids are dynamite,” Arrucci said. Arrucci is the president of
PMT Productions
, which is hosting the event.

The 25 finalists will compete to be named the 2012 Westchester Teen Idol. The annual singing competition helps raise funds for PMT Productions, a musical theater company originally based in Pleasantville.

This is the seventh annual show. Teens between the ages of 13 and 19 will compete for a grand prize that's worth about $1,500 and includes a voice lesson and professional head shots.

About 140 teens auditioned for the competition at the Yorktown Stage in late September and early October, Arrucci said. Teens from all over the tri-state area, including New Jersey and Connecticut, will compete in this year's finals on Saturday.

The competition also features three celebrity judges: John Treacy Egan, a graduate of Rye County Day School and Purchase College who has starred in “The Little Mermaid,” “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Sister Act”; Ben Hartley, a dancer and actor who has starred in “The Little Mermaid” and “Enron”; and Mary Bracken Phillips, who has starred in “Annie” and “1776.”

Proceeds from the ticket sales will help fund the community theater group's productions, which Arrucci said can end up costing about $20,000 to put on.

“It brings in the money we need to fund the show and gives the kids a great opportunity to get up and sing,” he said.